Battlecruiser Alamo: Triple-Edged Sword

by Richard Tongue

   Without any other choice, Salazar dived into the darkness, closing the hatch behind him, hearing the mechanism lock into place. There was no light, none at all, and he was forced to feel his way down, pushing himself recklessly into the abyss, knowing that his only safety lay in speed and silence.

   There was no sign of anyone else, and for a moment, he thought that he must have taken a wrong turning, managed to get himself lost in the eternal night, but finally he felt a hand tugging at him, dragging him into a small room. A light flashed on, and he saw the other three sitting around a table, Valya reaching into a hidden cubbyhole for an old knife, worn and battered.

   “Are we safe here?” Salazar asked.

   “I think so. No-one uses these any more. During the final stages of the mining, they tunneled down here into the heart of the asteroid, and in my great-grandfather's day they proofed the walls to make them airtight. One more project for our future that ended up getting canceled due to lack of resources.” She glared at Ortok, who shrugged.

   “Don't blame me. If you'd...”

   “No arguments!” Salazar said. “Not now. We don't have the time. Where exactly are we in relation to the control decks?”

   “These shafts tangle all over the place,” Valya replied. “When I was a kid, I used to come down here when I needed some time by myself. My father had an old plan of the layout, passed from his father, and he gave it to me. I must have been in every part of the tunnels at some point.” She chuckled, and said, “My teacher could never work out where I was hiding myself away.”

   Pulling out her communicator, Harper shook her head, “No signal. No surprise, this deep in the rock. We need to contact Alamo, let them know what has happened here.”

   “How long before your next contact time?”

   “Five and a half hours. Far too long,” Salazar said. “Whose idea was it to take us down to see the workers?”

   Nodding, Valya replied, “Tarak. He thought it might convince you to switch to our side. If he's working for the Council, then what's the plan?”

   “He's put the laser out of action,” Ortok said. “Our gunboats could launch a full-scale attack if they knew what had happened.” He looked enviously at Harper's communicator, and the hacker slid it back into her pocket.

   Shaking his head, Salazar replied, “That can't be it. They had no way of knowing that they'd get you, Valya. In fact, I'm sure he assumed that you would sit back and let them take us.”

   “I couldn't do that,” she said.

   Frowning, Harper replied, “Technically, it doesn't matter how you lose your hostages, as long as you lose them. I'm guessing that at some point soon, Tarak will be contacting Alamo with a very tragic story about how you decided to execute us for the murder of the guard, how he desperately tried to stop you, and that he needs rescuing.”

   “Captain Orlova won't buy it for a second,” Salazar said. “Not unless she saw the bodies.”

   “He doesn't know that, though,” Valya said. “He wants to discredit the Coalition, make you side with the Council against us.”

   “Would you?” Ortok said.

   “Not under any circumstances,” Salazar replied. “Short of a full-scale attack on Alamo itself by one side or another, and even then we'd probably just move off and let you fight it out.”

   Folding her arms, Harper said, “We can't just sit here and do nothing.”

   “We don't have to do anything.” Glancing at his watch, Salazar said, “Either we'll miss our check-in time and Alamo will send in the Espatiers, or Tarak will try some sort of unconvincing story, and the same thing will happen. Either way, help will be on the way, and soon. We might not be able to contact the ship from here, but we could certainly pick up signals from an approaching shuttle, or from an assault force.”

   Shaking her head, Harper said, “We've got to take some action to help ourselves. They know where we went, and a systematic search of these tunnels will find us soon enough. Can we access any communications equipment?”

   “There's a storage room four levels up. Some surplus gear is stored there that might be of use, but it would take a lot of work to get them together.”

   “I'll help,” Ortok said. Looking around, he added, “I don't want to be torn apart by a mob either.” He paused, then added, “I'm no fool. I know which way things are heading.”

   Nodding, Salazar said, “Where do I need to go?”

   “You don't,” Valya said. “I've got to do it. You'd never find your way through the tunnels. It took me years to find my way, and that was when I still had the plans. I'll go.”

   “Then I'll go with you,” Salazar said. “You'll need someone to ride shotgun.”

   “What?”

   “To watch your back.”

   She nodded, and said, “Besides, you aren't certain that you can trust me, and you need to keep your options open and make sure I don't run off.”

   “Am I that obvious?”

   “Let's just say I want to play poker with you some day, Pavel,” Harper said.

   “Fine,” Valya said, climbing past Salazar. “This way.”

   The two of them scrambled down another long shaft, climbing through the gloom, struggling to make anything out in the darkness, then around another corner, and another, and a third, through a tangled mess of identical shafts with no distinguishing features, no markings, no way of finding their way through.

   “I'm impressed,” Salazar said.

   “Trick memory,” she replied. “One look at something and it's in forever. There's a reason they made me boss of the laser crew at twenty-five.” Glancing back, she said, “Two more turns, and we're there. I want you to promise me something.”

   “I won't hurt anyone unless I have to, and I'll strike to stun, not to kill. I came here to save lives, not take them.” He paused, then said, “I've seen too much death for one lifetime already. I'm not in a hurry to see more.”

   She looked up into his eyes, and said, “You understand, don't you. I didn't think someone not from our system could, but you do.”

   Climbing through the last stretch of tunnel, they came to a hatchway, a faint crack admitting a thin beam of light. Salazar listened at the door, but there was nothing on the other side, no movement, no sound. With a nod, Valya pulled the hatch open, a grinding noise from the mechanism setting them both on edge.

   While he made for the door, Valya started to gather components and tools into a work bag, recklessly scooping them from the shelves. Anything that might be useful went in, along with anything that happened to be in the way. As she made her way to another shelf, Salazar heard footsteps outside, and gestured for her to be silent.

   If she was going to betray him, now was the time. One shout, one cry for help, and he'd have no chance of getting away. Even if he did manage to make it to the shaft, finding his way back to Harper and Ortok would be impossible. The footsteps grew nearer, low, muttered conversation as they approached the storage room. He stood by the door, hardly daring to take a breath, while they paused outside, their conversation briefly growing louder.

   Then, as quickly as they had come, they departed, moving on down the corridor. Salazar waited until they were out of earshot, then moved over to Valya, helping her with the last few components.

   “You didn't think I'd do something, did you?” she asked.

   He paused, then said, “No. No, I don't think you would.”

   With a smile, she climbed into the hatch, scurrying up the ladder, Salazar right behind her. He slammed the hatch closed with a loud clang, his heart stopping for a moment, half-expecting to hear cries and shouts from behind, the passing technicians alerted by the noise.

   “What are you waiting for?” Valya asked.

   “Nothing,” he said. “I'm coming.”

  Chapter 17

   Kelgar slammed his fist on the table, and said, “We cannot concede control! Itix is essential to o
ur continued survival. I will not see it thrown to an enemy.”

   Shaking his head, Poltis replied, “You can't maintain it! Every year the systems grow worse. Our technicians are far better trained...”

   “And now you insult our technical staff as well?”

   Pressing his point, he continued, “...to keep the station in repair. We would naturally continue to supply Skybase, but if you wish us to give up our combat potential, we must have some sort of leverage in return.” He leaned back on his chair, and said, “I remind you once again that this facility was built by the Coalition, not the Council.”

   “On territory that you do not own!”

   Shaking his head, Yorax said, “Maybe we could move to another point. The Coalition is holding more than three hundred of our people, and subjecting them to conditions of forced labor.” He looked at Orlova, and said, “Surely the Triplanetary Confederation would support the chance to bring those people home, where they belong.”

   “Well, Poltis?” she asked.

   With a shrug, the politician replied, “Theoretically, I'd be more than happy to satisfy you, but most of the people we're talking about have chosen to take Coalition citizenship.” He waved a datapad in the air, and said, “I've checked. Less than fifty of the people on this list actually want to return to Skybase, mainly those taken in the last few months.”

   “You've brainwashed them,” Kelgar said, shaking his head. “Contaminated them with your culture, your trickery. We can set them right again, once they are returned to us.”

   “All we've done is shown them how to live free, to make their own decisions and choices, rather than tying them to a decaying relic of the past,” Vyram said. “I can't blame them for wanting to stay, and we won't force them to return. Especially not if they face a future of slavery and so-called deprogramming.” Looking at Orlova, he said, “These are our people now, and I will not see harm come to them.”

   “If I may say,” Powell interrupted, “You are all, and remain, one people. The resources at your disposal will satisfy one culture, not two, and there must be unity.”

   “I agree,” Kelgar said. “We always have. The Coalition is welcome to join us.”

   “And we're back to that again,” Poltis replied. “The same old song.” Shaking his head, he said, “You need us more than we need you. I advise you remember that. A battle between our two powers would not end well for you.”

   Vyram glanced at Yorax for a moment, then said, “Whilst we would win, Coordinator, the price would be high, terribly high.”

   “I agree,” Orlova said. “All it would do is accelerate the end. Remember, one stray missile and the base on the surface is destroyed.”

   Shaking his head, Kelgar said, “I'd be happier to see it torn to shreds than left in the hands of the Coalition. My responsibility is for the fate of tens of thousands of people, suffering and starving.”

   “I will gladly take that burden from you,” Poltis replied.

   Slamming her gavel, Orlova said, “Gentlemen, we're going around in circles here. Can we at least agree one basic, fundamental reality. That the situation you are facing requires that you co-operate in order to survive, and that in effect, you are both equal powers.” Glancing at Poltis, she said, “The Coalition has the bulk of the technical personnel, as well as more outposts in the outer limits of the system, while Skybase has the mass of population. It's a situation that cannot go on forever.”

   “I'd like to advocate transferring population to the planet again,” Powell said. “My team has been looking over potential colony sites, and...”

   “Live in the dirt?” Kelgar said. “We are spaceborn. We do not descend to the level of the barbarian savages that infest the planet, and I find the very suggestion offensive.”

   With a sigh, Poltis replied, “While I would be willing to accept a relocation of my people to the surface, I cannot do so while the Council retain a military capability. I know exactly what would happen if we left ourselves to their mercy, and I cannot countenance it.” He paused, and said, “Perhaps if Alamo was to establish an orbital defense network to protect the planet.”

   “No!” Kelgar replied. “We need supplies from the surface to live! Once again you seek to cut off our vital sources of supply, and kill our population. That's been your plan from the very beginning, hasn't it. Wipe us out, and steal our technology to guarantee your own survival.”

   Shaking his head, Poltis said, “Everyone in the Coalition works for our greater good on a daily basis. We don't support involuntary parasites like you do.” He smiled, and said, “Perhaps another solution. Allow anyone who wishes to leave Skybase to join us in our outposts. We could support another five thousand people, if we had access to the extraction sites at...”

   Orlova's communicator beeped, and she said, “Excuse me, gentlemen. May I suggest a five-minute recess?”

   “It won't change anything,” Vyram said, soft sadness in his voice.

   She rose from her seat, moved to a corner of the room, and quietly said, “Orlova here. Go ahead.”

   “Nelyubov here, ma'am. There's some odd activity taking place at Arcadia. We've picked up a second freighter heading down from the base.”

   “How did we miss that?”

   “It was heading towards the outer belt when it did a major course change in a blind spot. She's on final re-entry right now, landing in twelve minutes. I've attempted to contact Ensign Cooper, but I can't get through to him.” He paused, then said, “And one of the Skybase gunboats just lit its engine, on hard burn for the planet. Orbit in one hour, nine minutes.”

   Shaking her head, she said, “Keep trying to contact Cooper and Cantrell, and see if Sub-Lieutenant Salazar has picked up anything. Maintain alert status for the present.”

   “Yes, ma'am.”

   Turning back to the table, she saw the Council delegation huddled in a group at the far end of the room, Kelgar holding a communicator. Vyram walked over to her, shaking his head.

   “They aren't going to see reason. I'm not sure that we're any better.”

   “At least both sides are talking,” she replied. “That's an improvement.”

   “One that I suspect will not last as soon as Alamo leaves the system. We need long-term help. Frankly, at this stage, I'd almost welcome it if you declared that you were taking over. At least we'd have some sort of reliable government.” He paused, then said, “We need guarantees of security, and we're not going to get them. It's a paradox, isn't it. Both sides have to maintain a military they can't afford because the other side refuses to disarm. Odd that no-one ever asks the soldiers whether they want to fight a war.”

   “Captain!” Kelgar said, storming over to her. “I have just been informed that your security force on Arcadia have taken control of the base, and imprisoned all of its personnel. This is a gross violation of our security, and I insist that you order your men away at once.” Fury spreading across his face, he continued, “Furthermore, I will want everyone involved to face trial under the laws of the Council.”

   Folding her arms, Orlova said, “We have no communication with the surface, as I am certain you know, and we don't have any idea what is happening down there. I do know that Ensign Cooper would only have taken such action if he had been attacked by your people. My staff have also told me that you have dispatched a transport and a gunboat to the planet.”

   “Are you disputing that we have the right to defend our territory?”

   “Both ships were dispatched before you received word from the planet.”

   “That's a violation of the ceasefire agreement,” Vyram said, shaking his head. “All military ships were to remain in position while the conference was under way.”

   “We didn't sign an agreement to allow ourselves to be conquered by this woman!” Kelgar yelled. “For all we know, the two of you have a secret treaty to bring us down.”

   “Administrator, let me be bl
unt. This ship could wipe out your entire fleet, and likely not suffer any serious damage in the battle. We don't need to deceive or trick you. If I gave the order, your base, your outposts, and your ships would be conquered in a matter of hours.”

   Nodding, Vyram said, “Give that order, Captain, and we'll he honored to fight at your side.”

   “Then this is a deception!” Pointing his finger at Orlova, he said, “I give you one hour to hand over Ensign Cooper and his team to me, and to liberate the base from your control. Failing that, you must consider that a state of war exists between our two governments.” A twisted smile crossed his face, and he added, “I venture that we might have a few surprises for you. We won't fall easily, and maybe not at all.”

   Turning, he stormed out of the room, the honor guard barely able to get out of the way in time. Yorax and Trant watched him go, then walked over to Orlova, their expressions laden with gloom.

   “What's happened down there?” Yorax asked. “You really don't know?”

   “I haven't got the slightest idea.” Shaking her head, she said, “I know Cooper. Assuming he has taken action against the personnel at the base, he would have had a very good reason for it.”

   “If Kelgar has arranged some sort of a trap, he hasn't told me about it,” the veteran said. “Trant, why don't you see if you can calm him down. Maybe he'll listen to reason. Maybe.”

   “We might have gone beyond that, but I'll see what I can do.”

   Nodding, Yorax continued, “Captain, I'd like your permission to head out to our gunboat squadron. I'll need to borrow one of your transfer shuttles. The commander they chose is by-the-book, and I have a feeling he'll obey the orders of the Council without question. If I'm in command, I might be able to stop this from escalating.” With a sigh, he said, “Though if it comes to it, I'll have to do what my sense of duty requires, no matter what that means.”